Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson believes that there are pros and cons of keeping Trent Alexander-Arnold at Anfield, but his contract renewal should be less of a priority than Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk's on performance alone.
The 26-year-old is able to talk to foreign clubs after entering the last six months of his contract and has long been linked with a move to Real Madrid, who are already believed to have failed with one approach on New Year's Eve.
However, sporting director Richard Hughes also has his hands full with Salah and Van Dijk's situations, as the pair could also leave for nothing at the end of the season, and no breakthroughs have been made just yet.
Ex-Reds winger Jermaine Pennant recently expressed his belief that Liverpool can afford to lose Alexander-Arnold, and Johnson agrees that his contract should be the lowest priority of the three based on performance levels alone, but the "actual facts" could argue that the right-back's renewal is of greater importance.
"If you forget the ages and you look at their performances on the pitch, it'd probably be Mo, most important, Van Dijk, then Trent," Johnson said in an exclusive interview with Sports Mole.
'Trent could be a legend, or you could sell him for bundles'
"But then if you look at the actual facts of their situations, Trent could be a legend for another four years, you could sell him for bundles. Mo is not going to be around in four years' time. So when you look at it that way, then it's almost a totally different question.
"But I'd say for now, the way Mo is still setting that bar, I think he's the priority because he's showing no signs of slowing down. And a striker that's going to bag you almost guaranteed 20 goals and almost as many assists, that is bloody hard to replace.
"He's still going to be fit enough to do this for another couple of years. But you could have similar positive comments on the other two players at the same time."
Alexander-Arnold has largely managed to block out the noise surrounding his contract situation and Real Madrid's supposed interest, banking two goals and six assists in 29 games for the Reds in all tournaments this term.
However, the 26-year-old was accused by The Telegraph of having his head turned by Real's failed approach after a disastrous performance in Liverpool's 2-2 Premier League draw with Manchester United at Anfield, where he failed to win any of his six ground duels.
Alexander-Arnold has since come up with a long-range stunner against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup and an assist for Darwin Nunez against Brentford last weekend, although Conor Bradley got the nod for Tuesday's 2-1 Champions League success over Lille.
'Any Liverpool player wants Alexander-Arnold in the first XI'
© Imago
While Alexander-Arnold's defending continues to be criticised, Johnson has implored fans to instead focus on the pleasing aspects of his play, describing him as "untouchable" going forward.
"He's never been and is never going to be a natural defender. That's not the sort of player he is. I think he has improved, but everyone wants to jump on someone's negative. He's one of the best we've seen going forward," the former right-back added.
"But of course, everyone just loves sticking their boot into the negative. If you look what he brings to a team, it's fantastic. It's untouchable. And if you're the manager, do you say, 'well, he's going to make a mistake every now and then. But at the same time, between mistakes, he's probably got another two or three assists.'
"You've got to weigh the whole thing up and not just jump on his negative side. He's clearly better going forward. He brings a lot to the team. I bet almost any player at Liverpool would want him in the starting XI."
Real Madrid have reportedly opted against another January approach for Alexander-Arnold and are instead banking on the defender being available for free this summer, the same tactic they employed to sign Kylian Mbappe last summer.
After only enjoying a brief cameo against Lille, Alexander-Arnold is expected to be back in the first XI when Arne Slot's side host Ipswich Town in Saturday's Premier League game.
Glen Johnson was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of BetVictor Casino.
Ben Knapton
